Red Sox Offense Falls Flat Vs. Cardinals After Head-Scratching Lineup Moves

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora

Red Sox Offense Falls Flat Vs. Cardinals After Head-Scratching Lineup Moves originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Boston Red Sox's hitting woes continued on Friday as they dropped their series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals, 3-2, starting their road trip on a down note.

Despite facing former teammate Dustin May, who'd been one of the worst pitchers in baseball to start the year, the Red Sox's offense couldn't get much going against him or the Cardinals' relievers. Boston mustered just two runs on five hits (four singles) and no walks, squandering another solid effort by Connelly Early and the bullpen.

The Red Sox continued to struggle with runners in scoring position, going 1-for-5 in those situations and stranding five baserunners overall. They were aggressive on the bases, executing a perfect double-steal of home with Trevor Story and Marcelo Mayer, but it wasn't enough as they fell to 1-4 in one-run games this year.

After the game, Alex Cora called out Boston's lineup for its latest underwhelming performance.

"We had our chances, but we have to be better offensively," Cora told NESN. "We just have to be better. That's it."

The Red Sox's scuffling offense has played a large role in their 4-9 start, ranking 24th in scoring at 3.54 runs per game.

However, Cora also deserves some of the blame for Friday's poor performance. He benched Boston's best hitter, Roman Anthony, and did not use him off the bench. The game ended with him in the on-deck circle, so perhaps the outcome would have been different if he'd gotten at least one at-bat.

Cora also moved Caleb Durbin from the sixth spot in the lineup to the two hole, even though he's been the team's coldest hitter to start the season. That move didn't pan out, either, as Durbin went 0-for-3 with a strikeout.

While the Red Sox hitters should have been more productive against May, Cora didn't put the team in the best position to succeed on Friday, and it may have cost them the game.

Anthony's expected to be back in the lineup on Saturday, at least, so hopefully he can give Boston's slumping offense a spark.

More MLB: Alex Cora Explains Surprise Benching Of Red Sox Superstar Vs. Cardinals